This is the best video I’ve seen on Occupy Wall Street’s General Assembly and the consensus process. Well worth checking out if you’re interested in learning more about the deep work going on to encourage direct democracy at the various occupations.

A quickie video for our homies. Several participants missed this at last week’s meeting, so I’m posting it here. In the midst of a gigantic crowd of demonstrators at New York City’s City Hall, we met a fellow who used to attend the Strawberry Creek Music Festivals. He gave a shout-out to Idyllwild residents, as did Rob and Justine whom you might recall from an earlier video. We also met with former Idyllwild resident Steven Morrison who expressed feelings of longing for his old home here on the hill.

Bill Moyers delivered a stirring keynote on the capture of our political system by the ultra-rich last night in Washington, at a gala honoring the fortieth anniversary of Ralph Nader’s advocacy group Public Citizen. Moyers urged people to have clarity about what has happened to American politics, and to engage in dedicated citizen action to combat it. His remarks are worth quoting at length: Continue reading “Bill Moyers on ‘Democratic Decency Defined Downward’”

We met Pat Walsh at Occupy Wall Street’s info booth. She really gave us an earful, recounting her experiences as a nurse in the Vietnam War and explaining why she traveled from her home in Colorado all the way to NYC’s Liberty Square to contribute to the OWS cause. Thanks for your compassion and commitment, Pat. And for sharing some of your story with us! Continue reading “from vietnam to wall street”

When Zora and I first arrived at Occupy Wall Street in New York City’s Liberty Square there was nary a child to be seen. Now Parents for Occupy Wall Street are organizing a family sleepover for this Friday night. We’re with you folks in spirit!

We ran into Naomi Klein at Liberty Square and asked if we could interview her. “After the march!” she called out. But after finding ourselves part of a slow-moving mass of 42,000 humans, we barely found time to get to Penn Station for our scheduled train trip to Washington, DC. Fortunately, this brief interview with Ms. Klein offers some nice insights into what makes this movement so compelling. And she offers some advice regarding the importance of making the most of this critical moment.

What are the occupation’s demands? Many folks we spoke with explained that making demands is ultimately disempowering because it gives the other side the power to address or ignore them as they see fit. In lieu of demands, the Occupy Wall Street folks put forth this first collective statement. Keep in mind that different occupations will most likely produce different declarations as each of the local movements is place-based, addressing needs specific to that region. Consensus will unfold organically over time.

For the past week, Zoraborealis and I have witnessed the emergence of the occupation movements in Chicago, New York and Washington, DC. We’ve marched amidst tens of thousands of people from diverse backgrounds, all united in a common goal: to transform our economic and political systems so that they better address the needs of the earth and its inhabitants. Continue reading “a movement for our times”

Markopolo and Zoraborealis embark on a cross country rail trip to the Occupation of Wall Street and the Occupation of Washington. Is democracy still breathing in the USA? Stay tuned to find out. Continue reading “let the journey begin!”